Mail-delivery apparatus.



0 H. VOLDSNESS.

MAIL DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1913.

1,086,798. Patented Feb. 10, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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MAIL DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 110 7, 1913 Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 avwaml o'c OH. VOLDS NEss OSCAR H. VOLDSNESS, OF ELEVA,WISCONSIN.

MAIL-DELIVERY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

Application filed November 7, 1913. Serial No. 799,818.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR H. VoLosNEss, citizen of the United States,residing at Eleva, in the county of 'lrempealeau and State of\Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMail-Delivery Apparatus, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in mail. delivery apparatus andhas for its primary object to provide simple, efiicient and reliablemeans for transporting mail from a residence to the road traveled by thepostman or from a depot to a post office, thereby relieving the owner ofthe necessity for leaving his residence in inclement weather to removethe mail from the box.

The invention has for another important object to provide improved meansfor operating the mail box or carrier, and means for automaticallystopping the operating means when the carrier arrives at the terminus ofits travel.

My invention in its more specific aspect includes a suitable car orcarrier which is suspended from trolley wheels mounted upon a suitablewire or cable, an electric motor and feed batteries therefor arranged inone end of the carrier, a pivotally mounted mail receiving platearranged in said carrier, and means actuated by said plate to close themotor-operating circuit when the mail is deposited thereon.

With the above and other objects in view as will become apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions,combinations and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of a car or carrier constructed in accordance with thepresent invention; showing the same arranged upon the trolley line. Fig.2 is a longitudinal section through the car; Fig. 3 is a section takenon the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 14 ofFig. 2; Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary end elevation.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates the body of the mailcarrier which is preferably constructed of sheet metal and is providedin its opposite ends with doors designated G'and 7 respectively.Adjacent the latter door, a vertical partition 8 is arranged ivithinsaid-carrier and provides a chamber in one end of the carrier to receivea suitable electric motor 9 which is fed from a plurality of batteries10.

11 designates a suitable wire or cable which is mount-ed upon thebrackets 12 secured to posts 13 arran ed at intervals between theresidence an the roadway. To each end of the carrier 5, the lower end ofa hanger bar 14 is secured. The upper end of each of these hanger barsterminates in a hook 15 and in the hooked end of each bar,

a peripherally grooved Wheel 16 is rotatably mount-ed and is adapted totravel upon the wire or cable 11. A guard member 17 is secured to eachof the hanger bars 14 and extends below the wheel 16, said guardmefnbers effectually obviating all liability of the wheels leaving thesuspending line or cable. One of the trolley wheels 16 is provided witha smaller peripherally grooved pulley or wheel 18 which is traversed bya drive belt 19, which extends around a similar drive pulley 20 securedupon one end of the shaft of the motor 9.

Within the casing of the carrier 5, a suitable supporting plate 21 issecured, preferably to the top wall thereof as shown, to receive mailmatter which is to be delivered to the postman. A horizontally disposedplate 22 is pivotally mounted as at 23 at one of its ends in the lowerend of the vertical partition wall 8. A rod 24 extends longitudinallyfrom the pivoted end of this plate into the motor chamber of the carrierand is vertically extended as indicated at 25, the upper end of thevertical extension being movably disposed through the top wall of thecarrier. This portion 25 of the rod is connected to one end of aresilient contact. plate 26 which is fixed at its other end upon asuitable insulating support 27, and wired to the battery 10. This platenormally extends between and in spaced relation to the motor fieldterminals 28. The upper end of the vertical extension 25 of the rod 2-1is provided with a head 29 and adjacent to said head an opening 30 isformed 21 and then forces downwardly upon the rod in the rod.

31 designates a longitudinally movable latch rod mounted in one of theend walls of the carrier 5, said rod being disposed through guide lugs32 depending from the top wall of the carrier. Between these lugs, thecoil spring 33 is arranged, one end of said spring being fixed to therod 31. The inner end of this rod is rovided with a hook and theextremity 34 t ereof which is disposed in parallel relation to the rodis adapted to be received in the opening 30 of the rod 24, when saidlatter rod is forced downwardly as will be clearly understood fromreference to Fig. 2 of the drawin Upon the wire or cable 11 ad acent oneend thereof, the stop block 35 is secured. This block is adapted toengage the head 29 of the rod extension 24 when the carrier arrives atthe terminus of its travel in one direction, and thereby force said roddownwardly to break the operating circuit for the motor 9 and stop thetravel of the carrier. In the outward movement from the residence to theroad, the outer end of the rod 31 engages the post 13 and said rod isforced inwardly, thereby releasing the rod 24: so that the resilientterminal plate 26 may return to its normal position. After the postmanhas removed the mail from the support 21 and placed other mail upon thepivoted plate 22, the weight of the mail causes said plate to movedownwardly thereby elevating the vertical portion 25 of the rod 24 andforcing the spring contact plate 26 upwardly into engagement with theupper battery terminal 28 whereby the operation of the motor 9 isreversed and the mail carrier moved from the roadway to the house orresidence. Upon its arrival at the other terminus of the line of travel,the head 29 of the rod 24; engages the stop block 35 and said rod isforced downwardly against the weight of the mail arranged upon the plate22 whereby the circuit is broken and the operation of the motor stopped.The carrier is preferably provided at one end with a suitable flag orother signaling device 36 which is adapted when not displayed to besupported in a suitable housing 37 secured upon the bottom wall of thecarrier.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction and manner ofoperation of my invention will be clearly and fully understood. By meansof the same, it will be appreciated that by simply depositing the mailin the box upon the plate 22, the motor 9 is set in operation and thecarrier is caused to travel upon the trolley line or wire from theroadwa to the residence. The motor is automatica 1y stopped in themanner above explained and when the mail has been removed from the plate22, the householder places the outgoing mail upon the support 24 toreverse the operation of the motor, said rod being held in its depressedposition by means of the latch rod 31 as above explained. The car willthen be moved outwardly to its position adjacent the roadway.

The construction of my improved mail delivery apparatus is exceedinglysimple and it will therefore be appreciated that the device can bemanufactured at comparatively small cost. It will be appreciated thatthe car or carrier may be made in various sizes and forms and I do nottherefore, Wish to be lim ited to the particular construction of thiscarrier as shown in the accompanying drawing. It will also be understoodthat my invention is susceptible of considerable modification in theform, proportion and arrangement of the several elements employed and Itherefore reserve the right to resort to all such legitimate changes asmay be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention, asclaimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a traveling carrier,means for operating said carrier including an electric motor, a switchfor said motor consisting of spaced terminal members, a movable contactplate arranged between said members, a mail supporting plate pivotallymounted within the carrier, a rod connected to the pivoted end of saidplate and to said movable contact member to engage the same with one ofthe terminal members when mail is de osited upon the plate whereby thecircuit is closed and the motor operated, means for operating said redwhen the carrier arrives at one terminal of its movement to dis engagethe contact plate from the terminal and stop the motor, said rod beingadapted to be manually moved to engage the contact plate with the otherof the terminals and reverse the operation of the motor, and a latchdevice for holding said rod in the latter" position.

2. In an apparatusof the character described, a traveling carrier, acable from which said carrier is suspended, means for operating saidcarrier including an electric motor, a switch in the motor circuitconsisting of spaced terminal members and a movable contact platearranged between said members, a pivotally mounted mail support arrangedwithin the carrier, a rod connected to sai support and to the movablecontact plate and extending through the top wall of the carrier, saidrod moving the contact plate into engagement with one of the terminalmembers when mail is deposited upon the support to close the circuit andoperate the motor, a sto block secured to the cable to engage and epressthe rod against the weight of the mail and break the circuit,

said rod being adapted to be further de- In testimony whereof I hereuntoafiixed pressed to engage the contact plate with the my signature in thepresence of two witother of the terminal members and reverse nesses.

the operation of the motor, and a. spring OSCAR H. VOLDSNESS. held latchrod mounted upon the carrier and Witnesses: co-acting with said firstnamed rod to hold P. K. RIsBERG,

the same in its depressed position. ELVIRA LARSON.

